trolley

[ trol-ee ]

/ ˈtrɒl i /

Save This Word!

See synonyms for trolley on Thesaurus.com

noun, plural trol·leys.

a pulley or truck traveling on an overhead track and serving to support and move a suspended object.

a grooved metallic wheel or pulley carried on the end of a pole (trolley pole ) by an electric car or locomotive, and held in contact with an overhead conductor, usually a suspended wire (trolley wire ), from which it collects the current for the propulsion of the car or locomotive.

any of various devices for collecting current for such a purpose, as a pantograph, or a bowlike structure (bow trolley ) sliding along an overhead wire, or a device (underground trolley ) for taking current from the underground wire or conductor used by some electric railways.

a small truck or car operated on a track, as in a mine or factory.

a serving cart, as one used to serve desserts.

Chiefly British. any of various low carts or vehicles, as a railway handcar or costermonger's cart.

verb (used with or without object), trol·leyed, trol·ley·ing.

to convey or go by trolley.

QUIZ

QUIZ YOURSELF ON "WAS" VS. "WERE"!

Were you ready for a quiz on this topic? Well, here it is! See how well you can differentiate between the uses of "was" vs. "were" in this quiz.

Question 1 of 7

“Was” is used for the indicative past tense of “to be,” and “were” is only used for the subjunctive past tense.

true

false

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Idioms about trolley

off one's trolley, Slang.

in a confused mental state.
insane: He's been off his trolley for years, but his family refuses to have him committed.

Sometimes trol·ly .

Origin of trolley

First recorded in 1815–25; originally dialect; apparently akin to troll¹

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2022

How to use trolley in a sentence

Here men were pouring cement into holes among the foundations of an iron frame, while suspended trollies clanged across the wires.
The Girl From Keller's|Harold Bindloss
I want also two little trollies, just to hold a tin jug and some tin cups hung round, with one oil-lamp to keep the jug hot.
My War Experiences in Two Continents|Sarah Macnaughtan
That, combined with all the shouting and clatter of trollies, etc., rather racking in the small hours.
Letters to Helen|Keith Henderson
Notice, they never push things on trollies, as our men do; they always carry everything slung on a bamboo.
Round the Wonderful World|G. E. Mitton

Our booty was enormous, and consisted of two hundred heavily-laden waggons, and eleven or twelve water-carts and trollies.
Three Years' War|Christiaan Rudolf de Wet

British Dictionary definitions for trolley

trolley

/ (ˈtrɒlɪ) /

noun

British a small table on casters used for conveying food, drink, etc

British a wheeled cart or stand pushed by hand and used for moving heavy items, such as shopping in a supermarket or luggage at a railway station

British (in a hospital) a bed mounted on casters and used for moving patients who are unconscious, immobilized, etc

British See trolleybus

US and Canadian See trolley car

a device that collects the current from an overhead wire (trolley wire), third rail, etc, to drive the motor of an electric vehicle

a pulley or truck that travels along an overhead wire in order to support a suspended load

mainly British a low truck running on rails, used in factories, mines, etc, and on railways

a truck, cage, or basket suspended from an overhead track or cable for carrying loads in a mine, quarry, etc

off one's trolley slang

mentally confused or disorganized
insane

verb

(tr) to transport (a person or object) on a trolley

Word Origin for trolley

C19: probably from troll 1

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Idioms and Phrases with trolley

trolley

see off one's head (trolley).

trolley

Idioms about trolley

Origin of trolley

Words related to trolley

How to use trolley in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for trolley

Word Origin for trolley

Other Idioms and Phrases with trolley